O.A.R. frontman Marc Roberge and guitarist Richard On are as inspired in 2018 as they were in 1996 when they started the band as kids in Rockville, Maryland.
While writing the band's forthcoming new album, The Mighty, the group took a look back at what it's accomplished. As Roberge tells Q104.3 New York's "Out of the Box" with Jonathan Clarke, no one makes it 20 years without adversity, and he's proud of his band for sticking together for so much time.
"We've kind of pushed through a lot of things in our career just like anyone with a long career has...21, 22 years, and we feel pretty strong," Roberge says. "When we're out there on the road, we're like a little gang of guys running around being strong. We feel like, you know what, we're The Mighty O.A.R. We kind of feel that way. And that's the name of the album."
O.A.R. has never shied away from exploring influences beyond rock and roll. The band members grew up listening to reggae and country music, styles they say only added to their rock culture.
"When we were growing up in Maryland, we somehow developed a sound that took these reggae chords, you know, that we knew how to play and made country songs out of them," says Roberge. "And that's kind of where this new album is going as well."
Check out the video above for the full interview as well as Roberge and On's acoustic rendition of "Shattered."
O.A.R. has a busy year planned.
They will perform at Carnegie Hall's Music of Led Zeppelin on March 7. More info here.
They have the Concert for the Garden of Dreams on March 23 at the Beacon Theatre in New York. More info here.
Then to keep the great run in New York going, O.A.R. will play the Central Park SummerStage in August.
Get all the O.A.R. tour dates here.
Follow the band on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
And by the way, yes, O.A.R. appreciates all your Googling this month, but none of the band members are competing in the Olympic games.
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Check out the official lyric video for O.A.R.'s new song, "Just Like Paradise":